Flake size in flake food

[Fishmanic]

I changed brands for flake food. Previously I used Cobalt flakes, but just bought Omega One flakes as many recommend it here. The flake size for Omega one is tiny...almost powdery compared to the cobalt which had much larger flakes. If you are using Omega One, is this normal for this brand? Or did I get a bad batch?

 

[Lilyann]

Get New Life Spectrum-- its a far superior food.

http://nlsfishfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Nutrition-Article.pdf

 

[Byron]

I changed brands for flake food. Previously I used Cobalt flakes, but just bought Omega One flakes as many recommend it here. The flake size for Omega one is tiny...almost powdery compared to the cobalt which had much larger flakes. If you are using Omega One, is this normal for this brand? Or did I get a bad batch?

I use both Omega One and New Life Spectrum flake foods. Both of these have largish flakes and some get broken down in transit I assume, so it is a mix. If you don't shake the container every time, but very easily at first, it is easy to get the "powder" at the bottom and then use it for small fish (my pencilfish thrive on this) while using the larger flakes for larger fish.

 

[Metalhead88]

I bought omega flakes once many years ago and had the same outcome as you. Never bought it again.

 

[Fishmanic]

there is so much powder it's almost as if someone put the can in a clothes dryer for an hour

 

[Byron]

there is so much powder it's almost as if someone put the can in a clothes dryer for an hour

That may not be far off, if the package of flake food was shaken in transit, or exposed to heat. I thought you were meaning very small particles previously, not actual powder. I always see a small bit of what I guess I would call powder, in any brand of food, even the sinking tabs/disks/pellets. But not as much as you seem to have encountered.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I've never seen this with Omega One flakes - the flake size is fairly uniform, although as mentioned, like all foods, there is always some particles.
I will say that I recently got a couple of one pound tubs of Cobalt Tropical Flakes and was surprised at how large the flakes were. I have to break them up slightly for my 'master blend' of flake foods. (I mix a blend of commercial foods like Omega One, Tetra Tropical, Cobalt Tropical, and others to better ensure balance). This in conjunction with live and frozen foods.

 

[Back in the fold]

My Omega One flakes are huge. I break them up and soak them a little bit before feeding. They must be tough because my fish really work at it to get them down. I think Omega One is great flake food. My fish like it and I can see that it is doing them good. I will always buy this brand.

 

[seangee]

I stopped using flakes some time ago. My staple is NLS pellets. These float for 10-20 seconds before slowly sinking. This means everyone has a go at them and I aim to feed just enough to ensure it is all gone by the time it hits the bottom. In 2 of the tanks I am happy to feed a bit extra as anything that does settle will be taken care of by the cories or shrimp. I never have to clean up any excess or worry about it getting into the filter or sponges.

 

[Fishmanic]

I stopped using flakes some time ago. My staple is NLS pellets. These float for 10-20 seconds before slowly sinking. This means everyone has a go at them and I aim to feed just enough to ensure it is all gone by the time it hits the bottom. In 2 of the tanks I am happy to feed a bit extra as anything that does settle will be taken care of by the cories or shrimp. I never have to clean up any excess or worry about it getting into the filter or sponges.

I have some sinking pellets but they are years old..so probably not a good idea to use them. Do you have a link to the NLS pellets you use? They make a couple of different types and sizes. Are they ok for serpae tetras and skirt tetras and tiger barbs?

 

[seangee]

I have some sinking pellets but they are years old..so probably not a good idea to use them. Do you have a link to the NLS pellets you use? They make a couple of different types and sizes. Are they ok for serpae tetras and skirt tetras and tiger barbs?

I use the smallest ones as I use it for all the tanks, including the CPD and microdevario. The bigger fish just need to get more of them (and they do ). If I got the bigger ones for the bigger fish I'd end up with 2 lots of stale pellets. That little tub seems to last forever.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LSYR01I/?tag=

 

[AbbeysDad]

Since we're talking fish food, lets drill a little deeper.

Omega One is considered a premium fish food because they use fresh whole fish rather than nondescript fish meal...which can be made from whole fish, or the processing waste by products (heads, bones, scales).
I read an article months ago that exposed fish food ingredients. What's listed is by weight, so when whole fish is used, it is the weight and may even include the ice it's packed in. When processed, this fresh fish is likely much lower in the real ingredient list. On the other hand, fish foods made from WHOLE fish meal, may in fact yield a better product for fish. However, as a trade off, fresh fish would require less grain starch as binder than would be required for dry fish meal.
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But note the WHOLE fish meal. When, for example, if a label just says "Salmon meal" as the first ingredient, this could just be the head, bones, and skin of a salmon and not whole salmon meal. BUYER BEWARE.
Also note that whole fish meal used in fish foods may come from all sorts of fish and fish that are not suitable for human consumption.
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It's my understanding based on statements I got from manufacturers for an article I wrote that New Life Spectrum, Tetramin, Ocean Nutrition, and Cobalt are all using whole fish meal.